“We must identify and encourage innovation to overcome these challenges.

“Imagine H2O offers its partners an exclusive channel to engage with emerging water entrepreneurs whose technologies have been vetted for both commercial viability and impact. Perhaps more importantly, the Imagine H2O network helps commercialise these critical innovations.”

Imagine H2O president Scott Bryan said: "Providing entrepreneurs with access to customers in strategic markets is critical to our programming.

"For the beverage industry, engaging water technology startups is an opportunity to advance the market for water innovation and support new solutions to water resource challenges.

Since 2009, IH2O has supported more than 550 startups in over 30 countries across a diverse range of sectors, including food and agriculture, water and wastewater treatment, quality monitoring, and water data and analytics.

IH2O’s accelerator participants represent one in every 10 dollars of early-stage investment in the water industry.